But another glass of liquor and he might.
Wishing he were anywhere else, Caillen made himself pay more attention to what was being done even though he felt like a flaming overdressed moron in a tacky suit.
Desideria stood to the far back of her mother’s Guard. She had yet to earn a forward spot, but that was okay. She would do so in the next few weeks. Of that she had no doubt. Especially since the other members kept treating her like she was somehow lesser because she was related to their queen. They assumed her appointment came from nepotism.
As if her mother had ever possessed an ounce of that. Go ahead and sneer at me. All they did was fuel her anger and make her that much more determined to challenge them once this ended. The only thing that had kept her from issuing a challenge the last two weeks had been her inexperience with social functions. Because she’d been considered a child until two weeks ago, she’d never attended anything like this and she preferred to stand back and get her bearings before she took the lead.
But before the year was out, she would advance to Head Guard and they would all learn that it was respect for her abilities and skills that had landed her where she was and not her blood relationship to their queen. Deside>
“Look at them,” her mother said in their native language through a fake smile to Pleba—one of her oldest Guard members. “Preening peacocks, all of them and not a cock among them.”
Desideria arched a brow at her mother’s insult. Unfortunately, it was true. Even her mother’s pampered consorts who were extremely womanly by Qillaq standards were far more masculine than anything Desideria had seen since leaving home. While she would have never considered her father effeminate, she now understood why her friends and family were so harsh toward offworlders like him.
They just didn’t measure up. It was really scary. Not that she was interested in finding a lover—she’d have to spend a year as an adult before she’d be allowed to even consider one and then only if she earned the right in combat.
Definitely not something that appealed to her at the moment. She had a lot more things on her mind than anything to do with the male species.
Sex could wait. Men were okay, but nothing…
Her thoughts scattered as she rounded a corner and actually stumbled.
Oh. My. God.
Breathless, all she could do was stare at the last thing she’d expected to find on board this ship.
A full blown masculine god…
He was without a doubt the finest-looking man she’d ever seen and she wasn’t the only one to think so. Every woman in the room was throwing covert lust-filled glances at him as he stood oblivious to the gapes. Several groups of women stood apart, making lewd comments about what they’d love to do with and to him.
But it wasn’t his looks alone that caught her attention. It was the force of his presence. Even though he was covered by so many heavy robes they obscured whatever shape his body was in, he stood with his weight on one leg, head low, eyes intense…
A soldier’s stance.
More than that was the stony look on his handsome face as his gaze swept the crowd. Sharp. Alert.
Predator. It was obvious he was assessing everyone in the room as a potential threat. An aura of lethal killer clung to him, warning all that he would only strike once and it would be fatal when he did.
A chill went down her spine as her heartbeat sped up with a fierce adrenaline rush.
He was absolutely gorgeous. Short dark hair framed a sculpted face that was so delicious it was hard to look at him. It sent a foreign tremor through her.
And when his dark eyes met hers, she felt a shiver of appreciation that caused goose bumps to raise the length of her body.
Oh yeah… For that, she’d be willing to fight and then some.
“Caillen! Relax your face. You’re scaring the nives.”
Caillen blinked as Darling’s voice in his ear startled him. His friend was right. He had that deep, intense scowl that he wore like armor around the undesirable crowds that haunted his usual gathering places. It was his basic default whenever he left home or felt uncomfortable with his surroundings. Look tough and no one messed with you.
Look homicidal and they avoided you entirely.
Which wasn’t a good thing around the geriatric crew who ran with his father. His luck he’d give one of them a coronary and get sued for it.
“Now you look like you’re on massive antidepressants.”
Caillen sighed. He couldn’t win for losing. At least that was what he thought until he felt that familiar tingle warning him someone was watching him.